Silky and her baby suffered serious abuse on the hands of the husband/father as well as his parents who flew to Tampa, FL at the request of their son to help him control, humiliate, degrade, beat and hold Silky prisoner in her own home. Silky and her baby were heroically rescued on September 2nd, 2017 by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

In the aftermath of the crime, Silky feels she’s being re-victimized by the Case Manager from “Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health under Ackerd Kids,” lead agency contracted by the Hillsborough County’s Child Protection Investigation (CPI). Silky is prohibited from going back home and is required to continue staying at the shelter, otherwise her baby will be removed from her custody and placed in foster care. This is a cruel decision that a non-offending parent, victim of domestic violence, should not have to face.

The Shelter was a good place during the crisis time, immediately after the crime and for few days. But, it’s been over one month and Silky and her daughter are still not allowed to go back home.

We are asking for the community, the system and the elected officials to call on the responsible agency to use common sense, compassionate, and culturally sensitive approach to help protect this family. Allow Silky and her baby to come home where they belong, help install a security alarm/monitor and find a pro-bono power lawyer in Tampa/FL to represent them.

Silky is an educated, intelligent women who had no control over the abusive behavior of the three criminals. She’s done nothing wrong and shouldn’t be held hostage by CPI. This mother never hurt her baby and shouldn’t be held accountable for the abuse that the other parent committed.

Don’t restrict Silky’s movement similar to what the criminals did. Silky has taken all measures to protect herself and her child from future abuse by her husband including total cooperation with law enforcement, willingness to testify and provide additional evidence of domestic violence to secure a conviction on all the charges. Silky has fully cooperated with CPI, keeping everyone informed of her whereabouts as well as following through with all the other requirements that we believe are unnecessary mandates.

It is crucial for victims of domestic violence to receive unconditional support immediately after the crime. Victims must be empowered and believe they can live free of abuse and control. We are not disagreeing with the fact that children must be protected from witnessing domestic violence, but there is a way to do this while supporting and protecting the rights of the non-offending parent. The rights of Silky are being violated hurting both, her and the child. It's sad and unfortunate to see so much more trauma added to this victim's pain. It shouldn’t happen, ever!

Silky is pleased with the compassion and sensitivity of the Dependency Court Judge, as well as the Child’s Guardian ad Litem and the State Prosecutors.

Stand up for Silky and her baby, sign this petition and share widely! We hope the outcome is: